Weekend Box Office (10-28-12): Skyfall kills overseas as Argo tops four weak new releases.

There were four wide releases opening domestically this weekend and not one of them made any real impact at the box office.  The big news was the overseas debut of Skyfall (review) which opened in the UK two weeks ahead of its US debut.  The 23rd official James Bond film earned a massive $77 million in the 25 markets it debuted in.  The film earned a massive $32 million in the UK alone, for the second-biggest UK debut weekend of all time, behind the 3D-enhanced Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part II.  It earned far more initially than Casino Royale ($21 million) and Quantum of Solace ($24 million), setting the stage for a massive US debut and what will surely be the biggest 007 film yet domestic and worldwide.  I don't think it's the best 007 film or that it should be an Oscar contender, but it's a darn good movie and anyone merely wanting a top-flight bit of action will be thrilled with this entry.  I can't imagine it not opening huge and playing for a rather long time, especially as it will be unopposed in the mega-blockbuster department (Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn II will play exclusively to its fanbase, massive as it is) for a month until The Hobbit part 1 of 30 opens on December 14th.  

Cloud Atlas versus Fun Size and more as John Gosling previews the week's new films (10-26-12).

Cloud Atlas is an adaptation of David Mitchell's sprawling, multi-layered book of the same name. It spans six different time periods, beginning in 1850 and ending in a distant post-apocalyptic future, and covers many aspects of the human condition and the idea of eternal recurrence. Thought to be impossible to translate into a screenplay (something Mitchell himself admitted) due to its complex nature and themes, it came as some surprise when director Tom Tykwer revealed in 2009 that he had begun work on a script for Cloud Atlas with The Wachowski's, who had optioned the rights to the book. This came about when The Matrix duo were shooting second unit on the 2005 flick V for Vendetta, and noticed star Natalie Portman engrossed in the book. After listening to Portman rave over it, both Lana and Andy read it and were equally as impressed. On the look out for a project on which they could collaborate with Tom Tykwer , they urged the German-born director to read it. He too was blown away and quickly joined the project. But commitments on both sides held back work until 2009 (Tykwer was finishing up The International, the Wachowski's were experimenting with Iraq war drama Cobalt Neural 9, a project on which they would not secure funding). By February 2009, the trio assembled in Costa Rica to begin work. 

Trailer Analysis: Silent Hill: Revelation gets a spoiler trailer.

Not much to say about this one.  I saw the original film on opening weekend way back in Spring 2006 and damned if I can remember all that much about it.  I remember being quite impressed by the imagery and the acting while relatively unmoved by the narrative and rarely outright frightened.  However, if only by default, the original film remains one of the most ambitious video game adaptations ever made, so I suppose it was inevitable that a sequel would eventually come down the pike, especially with the explosion in foreign business for 3D genre sequels over the last few years.  As for the trailer, I'm genuinely surprised that Sean Bean came back, but annoyed that the trailer doesn't even try to play the 'did he die?' card.  Ironically, the first Silent Hill is stunningly similar to a 200 direct-to-DVD thriller with Maria Bello called The Dark.  Sean Bean plays a somewhat hapless husband in both, both films involve grieving mothers attempting to 'find' their daughter and both end in a surprisingly similar fashion.  Anyway, Silent Hill: Revelations 3D opens October 26th, with Open Road taking over for Sony.  As always, we'll see.

Scott Mendelson